


Growing Up

by MagikMask



Category: Book of Mormon
Genre: Birth, F/M, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24436228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagikMask/pseuds/MagikMask
Summary: Honestly, what it says on the tin baby.
Relationships: Arnold Cunningham/Nabulungi Hatimbi, Kevin Price/Connor McKinley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Growing Up

At age 12, Connor McKinley learned a new word he had never heard before at the doctors office. He sat in the passenger seat of his moms car on the way home from the doctors, bouncing his legs and staring out the window. This was the first year his mom allowed him to go in by himself, mainly due to his 12 year old "ew mom no that's embarrassing" attitude. The doctor had said something and he had no clue what it meant, but he just nodded along to be polite. 

"Mom, what's a carrier?" 

She sputtered into her water bottle before clearing her throat and realigning her posture. "Um.. Why do you ask Connie?" "The doctor said I was one- but I dunno what it means and I was too scared to ask..." he admitted, worried from her reaction that she would be angry with him, like she was when she saw him and Steve holding hands in the living room. 

She let out a prolonged sigh and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, turning to look at him at a red light. "Well... Connor a carrier is a boy who can have a baby like girls can. They have different private parts than other boys do, different inside parts. This is nothing to worry about though Connor- only homosexuals have to worry about it as punishment." 

His eyes grew wide as he looked at his mom, "is this my punishment? For that one time I-" "No sweetie, this isn't a punishment, just like how having you and your sisters wasn't a punishment for me. It's just a part of you, and it won't be a punishment you'll receive as long as you are not a homosexual- which you aren't." She smiled down at him and ruffled his hair and he nodded, looking down and then out back the window. 

Connor promptly forgot that word from his lexicon- his parents never discussed it, he never discussed it, him and Kevin never discussed it- it was a mute point. Until however, one hot day in Uganda where he chatted with the newly converted sisters. 

At age 20, Elder Connor McKinley heard a word he hadn't heard for over 8 years. "Are you a carrier?" Kimbe asked as she stirred the pot hanging above the small fire. He had gone over to her hut in an effort to learn better cooking styles and recipes to impress the Elders- and one Elder in particular- with. He however, struggled to chat with the other women without going green at the scent of the food. Twice throughout the day now he's quickly excused himself to run out behind the hut and purge all the awful stirring in his stomach out. 

The walls of the hut were not soundproof however, and the women cringed at hearing the awful retching coming from the ginger. He walked back in after wiping off the cold sweat and putting on a smile, rejoining the conversation. The women were, reasonably, suspicious of this behavior. After denying any other fever or flu symptoms, there was one other conclusion to be drawn. 

"Elder McKinley?" Nabulungi snapped in front of his eyes, bringing him to the present. "Yes, hm what? I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that." He said with his most chipper voice. Kimbe sighed and repeated herself, "are you a carrier?" "Of?" "Not of a disease dumbass, a carrier! A man with a ut-" Asmeret was cut off when he hummed loudly to keep her from saying it, sighing softly, "Yes, I vaguely remember my mother talking to me about it, but I don't see what that has to do with anything." He said, looking between them all. 

Kimbe turned back to the pot and sighed, "Do you fuck that other white boy?" Connor went white as a sheet before all the blood came rushing back at once and he looked like a tomato. "Wh- I- I don't see why that is any of your business!" He stuttered, letting out a shaky laugh and tugging at his tie. The air was getting really thick in here- right? Or was he just going crazy? "Elder please, she is trying to diagnose you. We have all been worried about you, you are so tired and overworked and you've been sick twice today. Please.." Naba pleaded. 

The redhead let out a shaky sigh before clearing his throat. "There have been... several occasions where we've... consummated our affections for each other." He said in the most god-pleasing way he could. "I don't see what that has to do with anything though-" Connor mumbled, beginning to chew on the corner of his thumbnail. Kalimba muttered something to herself that sounded vaguely like "dumb white boy" before stepping towards him. "Stand up." "What why?" He asked whilst standing up anyway. She placed her hand on his hips and felt around his stomach and hip bone, pressing in right below his belly button. "Oh definitely." She said to Nabulungi who grinned wide. 

She stepped back and turned back to the food, ignoring a shocked and confused Connor. "What- what was that what is definitely??" He asked, trying to get some sort of answer out of this woman. "You're pregnant." She said with utmost certainty as she started to put the soup into bowls. "Excuse me what?" He tried to clarify before Naba leaned over and gave him a large hug. "I bet white babies are so cute!" She squealed before letting go of a stone cold Connor. "You're pregnant, you had sex with a man, you're a carrier, there are consequences." Kimbe said succinctly. He wanted to argue and do anything to deny this reality, but heck, it made sense. 

He'd been feeling like crap for the past three weeks. The other Elders have found him fast asleep on his desk, on the dinner table, on the couch, he's complained relentlessly about his back aching, he's been excessively clingy to a certain Kevin Price, excessively snappy at everyone and has definitely struggled to keep certain foods down. He found his head in the toilet at least a few mornings a week, and he had absolutely no energy. It took all the energy he had to just walk to Kimbe's hut. 

His first response once he absorbed the information was to shut down all systems, and just nod and smile at the others. He might have been smiling a little too wide and nodding a little too much because Naba gave him a concerned look, gave a small wave to Kimbe and walked him outside. "Come on Elder, lets go tell Elder Price." That made Connor snap out of it. "What?! No! We can't just go- do that!" He sputtered, his wires short circuiting and his defenses breaking down. His panicked breaths quickly morphed into sobs as he began to cry. 

Naba walked him over to a big shady tree nearby and sat him down, rubbing his shoulders. "Oh Heavenly Father, why am I so stupid, I was doing so good. I gave in to temptation, I am sorry." He held his hands together and prayed harder than ever before that this wasn't true. "Elder this isn't all that bad." "I'm 20 years old and pregnant out of wedlock after consummating with a man. It's that bad." He whimpered, realizing the horrible path his life has taken once it was all said out loud. He cried harder. 

"Elder people here have children when they are younger than you, many of them aren't married either. It is okay." He shook his head as his shoulders bounced with heavy sobs. "No- No! I-in America, good people, good Mormons don't have children until they are married, with a job and a house. I have zero of those things!" She shushed him softly and helped him stand up. "It will be okay, we will make it okay. I promise." She assured him, walking with him around the village until he calmed down enough to speak. 

"Now, why don't you want to tell Elder Price?" "I'm going to ruin his life. He's destined for such great things- he can't- he doesn't deserve this fate." "He's going to find out eventually." She reminded him, moving her hand so it makes a large semi circle around her midriff. He sighed and nodded, and suddenly the idea of getting that huge also terrified him. There were so many levels of fear to be had he was surprised he was still standing. "And he had a part in this too. Don't let him forget that." Connor nodded absentmindedly and looked back in the distance towards the hut. 

"You've seen him with kids too, right? He is so good with the village children, and dealing with Arnold." That made the redhead smile a little bit, and Nabulungi saw that as a sign of hope. "See? You can picture it can't you? A big house in Sal tlay ka siti, with many children, you and Elder Price holding hands and cuddling on a blanket outside. That is not a bad future." "That's unfortunately not the future most young parents are faced with." He sighed and looked down at his stomach, tentatively pressing a hand there, and suddenly it became so real, and he did see it. 

Years from now, Connor teaching their future child dance moves, their kid sitting on Kevin's shoulders while he makes a pot of coffee in the morning, their wedding day with their child as the ring barrier, them cuddling on the couch with Kevin's hands wrapped around Connor's baby bump as they watch their two other children play with Christmas toys in a big living room. 

Alas, it was a fantasy, a dream, and like all dreams, you have to wake up, and like all of Connor's dreams, they eventually turned into red flamed nightmares. In a different future he could also see him and Kevin fighting, screaming their heads off at each other, Kevin leaving him, his parents disgusted reactions, living on the street, the pain of childbirth, the cold calculated signature on divorce papers, or even worse, Kevin's emotionless, apathetic face on their wedding day. 

This vision filled Connor's eyes with a new set of tears as he sniffled and shook his head. "I'm so scared Sister Hatimbi..." he whispered softly and she nodded, rubbing his shoulders. "Everyone gets scared Elder McKinley, it is okay, come on, let's get you back to the mission hut so you can rest up." "Okay." He croaked out, trying to wipe his eyes and swallow the lump in his throat. The others didn't need to know he was crying, and he feared if they saw the tears their next question would be Why. 

"Does it look like I've been crying?" "A little, but it's not super obvious. Just take a few deep breaths and you'll be okay." Connor nodded and sighed before stepping in to the hut and immediately being met with a pleasant distracting chaos that will take his mind off of everything.

——

Elder McKinley realized quickly that trying to hide something this big in a crowded house with a bunch of other people always in and out would not be easy. People would walk in on him throwing up in the bathroom, or absentmindedly touching his stomach, and worse- Kevin would come up from behind him and hold his hands in front of his stomach and Connor would have to jump away like he was on fire. What if he felt it? Oh gosh oh gosh- but the other Elder never gave a single indication he knew anything and for that he was thankful. Nabulungi was right, the others will find out eventually, but for now, at least, couldn't it be his little secret?

Apparently, it couldn't, according to his brain and his guilt. On top of all of this sin, now he was also a liar, that did not make the hell dreams any better. They had gone away for a while, after coming out and having Kevin and the others there to support him, but now they were back with a vengeance. Graphic images of Kevin's various expressions of disgust and hatred, the pain of labor, demons ripping out his child. The dreams got worse over the weeks as suddenly Kevin became very distant. The redhead was lucky if he got an hour of sleep a night now. This, mixed with the general exhaustion that came with pregnancy was not a good combination. 

He would watch with heavy lids as the sun rose, and he knew he'd have to get rid of this guilt somehow. He had to tell Kevin. 

Elder Thomas pulled him out of his office one day when he heard the sad sound of sniffles echoing from the room. He found the exhausted District Leader crying over having to rewrite the same letter for the fifth time because he kept messing up. "I'm a failure." He muttered to himself through bitter tears as the smaller blond sighed and picked him up by his arms. "Elder you are exhausted, let's get you to bed huh?" The redhead shook his head, too tired to use words. "Yes we are, let's go." He said, pulling him out and catching Elder Price's eyes who nodded and rushed over, nodding his head towards his own room. 

"This isn't our room Elder Thomas..." he mumbled through sniffles. "I know, it's mine." Price said from his side and Conner jumped, not realizing that he had joined them. He blushed a dark red on his cheeks and Poptarts dropped him off, Kevin taking his arms and laying him down on his bed. The twin was cramped, but they could still both fit. 

"I'm sorry I've been so teary eyed lately... I know it must be annoying after you've gotten used to me being so smiley all the time. That's probably why you've been avoiding me... I've been snappy, I'm sorry." He whimpered and the taller one shushed him, pressing Connor's head under his chin and petting his hair. "Hey no it's okay, you've been exhausted, I can tell, are the dreams back?" McKinley nodded and sighed, "that's not it though. The exhaustion is just a symptom." 

Kevin perked up a little and pulled away, looking down at him. "Well what's wrong? Are you sick? Do you have cancer? Are you dying?" He asked, escalating quickly and the shorter one let out a soft laugh, "God no Kevin, even if it feels like it sometimes. This is something important though, and I am really sorry about this. I love you so much-" "I love you too." Connor blushed and let out a deep sigh. "Please don't be mad but... I'm pregnant." He told him in a soft whisper. Kevin froze for a second, blinking and pursing his lips. "Did I hear you right? You're pregnant?" Connor swallowed and nodded, eyes wide. 

"Whose is it?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed and lips tight. Connor let out a shocked laugh. "What? Kevin it's yours you big goof, why would you think otherwise?" He asked, furrowing his brows. "Well you said don't be mad and so I was trying to figure out why I should be mad." "Kevin..." he sighed, "I meant don't be mad about the pregnancy." "Why would I be mad about that?" 

McKinley.exe is definitely shutting down. "Kevin. We're only 20. We're in a foreign country with no money, no college education, no job, preaching a religion we've been excommunicated from, and I just told you I'm pregnant, having a child, your boyfriend, with your child in my uterus. How are you not freaking out?!" Kevin shrugged softly and smiled down at him, "Well when you put it like that..." he sighed, chuckling a little and letting out a soft puff of air. 

"Connor you were breaking down sobbing a minute ago because you messed up a letter, you've been throwing up for weeks, you're clingy one moment and pissed off the next, and your belt is on the fifth hole and not the second. I came to that conclusion a while ago. Alsooo I might have overheard you talking about it with Naba." "Wait you've known?" "Yeah but I needed time to process it, and I didn't want to rush you into telling me. Just like how I knew you were gay from like- our first conversation but I let you come out to me anyways." 

"Kevin Price you... you are such a..." he tightened his lips as Kevin smiled wide. "Ooh McKinley's first curse word!" He cooed teasingly. "You're such a dick Elder Price." "Alas I admit it." Connor hit his shoulder and sniffled, "I've been having nightmares about your reaction for no gosh darn reason then!" He huffed and snuggled into him anyways. "I love you." Kevin hummed softly, pecking his forehead as his hand drifted down to his stomach. His eyebrows raised slightly and he looked down. This was the first time he really felt it. "Wow..." A kid, his kid was in there- wow.

"So you really aren't mad?" "Mad isn't a good word. When I heard I flipped my shit-" "Hey!" "and panicked and freaked out, but, I calmed down, talked to Mafala about everything, realized I was kind of being selfish and stupid again, and then I kissed you. Made me feel better." "You big sap."  
____  
Elder Connor McKinley does not slack off. Elder Connor McKinley works and does not stop working until the job is done. (Which was a feature that perhaps attracted him to Price in the first place.) Elder Connor McKinley doesn't take sick days, doesn't skip church and doesn't stop. 

In short, Elder Connor McKinley doesn't know how to take care of himself.

He had a job, and that job was demanding, but he could take it. Another demanding job was the one he gave himself. A semi-weekly day dedicated to brushing up on his dancing so he wouldn't go rusty. The tell tale sound of the click clacking of tap shoes on the wood floor of the living room in the morning made the other Elders especially cautious of the room, lest they get smacked in the face with a flying foot (which might have happened once. Or twice. He did profusely apologize to Elder Zelder but he was still wary.)

Still, his changing body was taking a toll on him. His feet were starting to ache excessively, especially due to the extensive walking from the hut to the town and back. His lower back was always on fire and he was way too scared and shy to ask Kevin to rub it for him. He had started getting headaches frequently too, along with radiating pain when anything came into contact with his chest. 

However, Connor McKinley didn't complain. He bottled up all the pain and moved on. Kevin didn't need to hear him whine, and if he told the other Elders they'd begin to get suspicious. So he sighed and tried to suck in his stomach the best he could and tied his shoes, pushing away the rug in the living room and doing basic moves. He was disappointed to find out that after only about 15 minutes he began feeling sweaty and out of breath, but he persevered, because Connor McKinley didn't complain. 

He didn't complain when his lungs began to hurt, when his ankles felt beyond sore, when he started to get dizzy, when black dots scattered his vision, when he fell face down on the floor. He tried to get up but found himself too weak to do anything but pant. After a moment he stood up before falling right back down on his back, the world going black. 

Elders Price and Cunningham opened the door of the hut to find Connor splayed out on the floor, out cold. Kevin began to panic, sliding over to him on the floor and tapping his face frantically, calling out for any other Elders in the building. Elder Church peaked out of his room, shock flooding his system. Arnold said he'd go find Gotswana and round up anyone he knew. 

Kevin panicked as he looked down at Connor, checking his head for any bruising and making sure he was breathing. "Why are you freaking out he probably just fainted, he'll be okay." "Yeah, he might be okay but what about the kid?!" Price shouted, still too freaked out to realize his mistake. "Come on Connor..." he begged, tapping his face. "Wait- kid? What do you mean?" Church asked, moving Connor into a sitting position against the wall. The color drained from Kevin's face as he realized his fatal error. "Gosh Church I... there's a lot to explain. Now isn't the time." He stressed.

Kevin continued to make Connor more comfortable, loosening his tie and his belt, while James fanned his face in an attempt to cool him down. Eventually Arnold returned with Gotswana in tow. He looked over the pale boy before he started to come too. "Probably just a fainting spell, maybe due to exhaustion from the pregnancy." He said plainly, looking over as Connor made a weak attempt at shushing him. "Gos'waana the others dunno." The leader slurred gently, his eyes half open. Kevin looked at his companion whose jaw was on the floor, and over at Church whose eyebrow was raised suspiciously high. 

Uh oh.

"Arnold hey buddy, you've gotta calm down alright? This is a secret, and I mean it no one can know about this." Kevin stressed, looking over at Church too. Once Connor was fully awake he sat up, quickly trying to stand up and almost went tumbling back down if it hadn't been for Kevin and Gotswana holding him up. "There's like... a baby in there?" Arnold whispered, looking at Connor's stomach. Said man paled severely and looked like he was about to pass out again. "Oh Heavenly Father..." He whispered, shuffling over to the couch with help from Kevin.

"Okay look, both of you, yes I am pregnant, but no one can know, at least for a little while okay? Not until I have to tell people, understood?" Church and Cunningham nodded obediently. Connor sighed with relief and nodded. "Good... good..." he let out a long breath and rested a hand on his stomach unconsciously. Kevin's eyes were filled with such warmth and affection it wasn't difficult for Church to connect the dots of how this occurred. He knew Connor and Kevin were somewhat involved, but he hadn't known that they were involved.

"Oooh okay I understand now... I'll keep quiet Elder McKinley. Promise." "And you Elder Cunningham?" The redhead asked suspiciously. "I'll do my best!" He said loudly with a smile. Connor looked over to Kevin pleadingly, Kevin nodding and pulling Arnold aside for a more direct and intense talking to. "Elder McKinley, you must relax okay? Eat full meals and drink much water, this should not happen again." Gotswana said before leaving the hut and returning to the village. Elder McKinley felt like a scolded child.

Kevin kept watch on him like a hawk after the episode, barely allowing him to lift a pot of water by himself. Connor was thankful, if not a bit annoyed and paranoid about the others finding out. When Kevin wasn't keeping an eye on him, the other villagers were. 

One afternoon he was helping Khali bring pails of water back to his hut, making polite small talk along the way. The pails were definitely heavy, and it was not assisting in Connor's aching back but, hey, life as usual he supposed. 

Until that is, Kalimba saw him and raced over, taking the pails of water out of his hands. "Are you trying to kill yourself Elder? You cannot be carrying such heavy materials when you're expecting!" "Wait you're pregnant?" Khali asked, eyes widening and giving him a once over. "Uhh...." He was coming up short on an answer. "Of course he's pregnant look at him! Cheeks all red and chest and stomach all swollen!" 

Connor blushed deeply, intensifying the already red hue of his cheeks. "He is always red in the sun, how was I supposed to know?" She rolled her eyes and looked back at Connor, hitting his shoulder resulting in a pout from the redhead. "You should know better after that episode in the hut! You're putting strain on yourself and the child! Don't you know not to carry heavy things?" Connor looked to the ground in shame. "No not really..." 

"Do you know anything about being pregnant?" He shrugged a shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes. She sighed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I'm going to give you a little lesson." She said, walking away from Khali who huffed as he was now forced to carry all the water alone. 

She did end up giving him quite a talking to that set him straight, and he made a promise not to strain himself anymore. Though he didn't have a good knowledge of what others would consider a strain. Apparently, according to the shouts of his boyfriend, climbing on the roof to repair it, tap dancing, trying to move the couch, and wearing his belt too tight were all considered "strenuous activities".  
————  
As Connor became more used to the idea of being pregnant, the reality set in that he would have to tell the others soon. The vomiting was lightening up, but with that came a ravenous appetite for strange foods, a sudden interest in actually watching the Disney movies Kevin picked whilst cuddling, tighter clothes and more nightmares. 

The last of which exposed his sins to his fellow Elders. 

Connor tossed and turned in the bed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he frantically muttered to himself. "Don't... don't don't take her please! Please! She didn't do anything wrong!" He cried from his bed, waking up his roommate. Normally he was pretty quiet while enduring hell dreams but there were a few nights where it got loud. 

The red head curled up, hands protecting the bump as he shook in his bed. "Don't you dare... no! She's just a baby! Baby... baby... Kevin don't! Please!" He rasped, sobs shaking his shoulders as he heaved for air. Poptarts quickly got out of his bed and moved across the room to wake Connor up. He screamed. When Connor's eyes opened it appeared as though he was looking straight through Chris and it freaked him out a good deal. When his eyes were brought back to reality he clutched onto his companion for dear life. 

"They were gonna take her! Kill her! Poptarts I- I-" He stammered, crying into his shoulder. The smaller blond shushed him and rubbed his back up and down. "Hey... it's okay, what happened, who is 'she'?" "The-they had her, took her from me, she's my baby Chris I can't let them have her!" "So you had a baby in the dream..?" "No Poptarts! I have a baby now!" The other blinked and shook his head, at a loss for words, "I'm sorry what?" "What if they take her? In real life? She didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who's wrong- gay, pregnant out of wedlock, she has no control over that!" 

A lot was just flying over Poptarts head at the moment. "...in the dream? You were pregnant in the hell dream?" "No!" He cried out, letting out another sob as his frustration got the better of him. Chris just sighed and pulled his companion close, rubbing his back and letting him just cry it out. 

A few minutes later Connor seemed to have more wits about him as he continued to calm down. "Oh god what have I done..." he muttered to himself, looking up at Poptarts. "I'm sorry, I know it sounds crazy, but it wasn't in a dream, I'm actually... y'know..." he looked down as he rested a hand on his now much more prominent (estimated) four month bump. Chris's eyes opened wide as he looked at his friend, genuinely unsure of what to say. "Please don't tell anyone Chris... ugh.. gosh what's the point anymore, it's going to be unavoidable soon." He sighed and a few more tears trickled down. "I won't tell Elder, I promise. I know you wouldn't tell if I..." He shuddered to think about it. Connor nodded and smiled, sniffling and laying back on the mattress after another brief hug. 

"Goodnight Chris, sorry for waking you up."  
"Sweet dreams Connor."

A cough from outside the door. A floor panel creaking. Connor's eyes slammed open. He crept to the door and was met with the backs of 7 young men trying to sneak away. He cleared his throat loudly and crossed his arms, glaring at all of them. They all slowly turned around, and all eyes flew to his stomach. "Oh Heavenly Father." He sighed and put the back of his hand to his forehead. Kevin rushed over to grab him in case he fainted and Connor slapped his arms off of him, stepping away. 

"And what may I ask are you all doing outside my door at 3 am?" He asked, doing a perfect impression of his mother- including the slightly intimidating sound of a tired, pissed off Deep Southern drawl. They all looked at their feet and shrugged. "We were just nervous Elder McKinley, we haven't heard you scream like that for months... we thought you were getting hurt." Schrader piped up. The district leader flushed in the dark light. Was he really that loud? 

"And then... we heard you talking with Poptarts and we realized it was a Hell dream but... it's hard to fight the temptation of eavesdropping." Elder Michaels mumbled, unable to keep his eyes from drifting down to the red head's stomach. McKinley blushed and crossed his arms lower. "And I can assume you all heard my little confessional?" They all nodded. No one was saying a word and they were all standing considerably far from him and Price. They all glanced at Kevin and back to the floor, seeming to understand the dynamic at play. 

Unfortunately his position left him in a vulnerable spot and he felt tears pricking at his eyes as his anger about the eavesdropping receded and his fear about them finding out entered the forefront. His throat felt tight as he struggled to get more words out. It was 6 against 1 after all, he didn't stand a chance. 

"I-I'm sorry, I failed all of you... I'll write to the president for a ticket out first thing in the morning, I promise, I'm sorry. All I ask is that you don't tell him what happened. Do that for me, and my name's sake, though I doubt you have any respect for that name anymore." He sighed and looked towards the floor, blinking some tears out of his eyes. "I'm sorry for not being a good leader... I've set a bad example and I'm sorry." He swallowed a lump in his throat and turned to step back into his room, walking right into Chris who was blocking the door. "No way Joseph." 

He turned around and sniffled, nodding and walking to the door, trying to slip on his shoes and leave out the front door. They chased after him. "McKinley no that's not what I meant!" Chris shouted, taking the shoes out of his hand and throwing them on the floor. Connor was in pieces, sitting on the small coffee table, hunched over and just utterly broken. He was met with, to his surprise, a large group hug as all of the teenagers tried to comfort him along with Kevin who pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

Through tear filled eyes he looked up at all of them, confused eyes the size of saucers. "Why are you hugging me?" "You looked like you needed a hug!" Poptarts squeaked from the back of the crowd. "I-I'm disgusting, I failed you." "You didn't fail us Elder stop saying that! It's okay that you're pregnant, we aren't mad!" Neeley insisted, stepping forward. Connor stood up and looked around, "Really?" "Yeah!" They responded. 

He nodded silently to himself, looking at Kevin who simply smiled at him like he hung the sun and stars. Connor sighed and flew into his arms, crying out the rest of his tears while he thanked them all profusely. By the time he pulled away from his shoulder they had all returned to their rooms. "It'll be okay Con, just like I said." He nodded, and they returned to their rooms. (After a few prolonged kisses of course.)  
——  
"Are you okay Elder McKinley?" Poptarts asked in the morning as he tied his shoes, tilting his head as he watched his mission companion stretch out on the bed, struggling with the clasps on his slacks. "It's just... getting harder to... ah!" He shouted in victory, smiling and panting a little with relief. 

Chris raised an eyebrow at his companion. That definitely did not look comfortable. He winced as Connor cinched the belt around, putting it on the loosest notch. It still looked pretty strung out. "Maaaybe it's time to-" Chris started to suggest. "What was that Elder Thomas?" Connor asked in his best This perfect Mormon is about to beat the shit out of you voice. "Nothing..." 

Connor nodded and went into the shoebox closet, lifting up to grab a new tie from his collection and one of the most strained buttons on his shirt finally gave up. He looked down and an electric red blush appeared on his features. "It's fine this is fine..." he muttered to himself, starting to redo it and sitting down on the bed, the clasps on his pants bending out and snapping apart as well. 

"I can make this work, this is fine this is fine." He repeated until he worked himself into tears. Poptarts bounced over to the other bed and attempted to run a soothing hand over his shoulders before Connor jerked away. "Just leave, I'm fine, go, I'll be out in a minute." He assured him, clearly brushing him off. Chris sighed and nodded and as soon as he left the room the door slammed shut behind him and the lock clicked. Chris sighed and went to find Price. 

Connor pathetically lied down on the bed, one arm over his face woefully. How can he look well put together when his clothes wouldn't even fit?! His hair was still messy and curly, since he typically tended to it after his clothes were dealt with. He took off his belt and threw it at the wall in frustration, later muttering a meager apology to the object. 

He got up and looked at himself in the small mirror their wall had and cried harder. He looked disgusting. He was disgusting. His mother was right, this was a punishment for his sins. Gosh how could Kevin touch him when he looked like this?! His face was puffy and red, his chest was all swollen, and he was fat. Fatdisgustingfatfatgrossewdisgusting

Connor fell back on his bed and cried harder, unable to look at himself anymore. Why couldn't he be like those people whose body barely changed?? Why did he already have to be this gross? He was only 4 1/2 months! Well... almost five. Still, ugh whatever. 

He rolled himself in his blankets and looked up when there was a knock on the door. "No!" Was all he shouted before burying himself back in his pillow. "Connie? Please? I can help you. I have some other Elder's clothes you can try on. It's probably not that bad babe." Connor rolled his eyes. Kevin was trying to use all the pet names he could but it wouldn't work on him, no sir. 

A few minutes later Connor was startled from his sobs by a knock on the window. He sat up and looked over at Kevin, who in all fairness really did look like he wanted to help. Connor sighed and opened up the window. "Aw jeez honey bear you're crying. I'm sure it's not that bad." Connor scoffed and looked away. "It looks like I gained 70 pounds overnight..." Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Okay... maybe not that much, but still I don't want you to see me, I'm gross." 

"What kind of baby daddy would I be if I let you cry yourself to dehydration in here?" He asked, throwing the clothes on the bed and climbing through the window, tumbling into the room. In spite of his current emotion, Connor let out a small laugh. Kevin looked over at him and smiled, "look at you, look at how gorgeous you are." Connor sighed deeply and looked away from him. The taller one grabbed his hands and kissed his cheek, moving the blankets off and taking in the distressed state of his (in his mind fiancé) boyfriend. He had gotten rid of his shirt and the bump, only covered by temple garments, road over and split up the slacks. 

"I know... I don't want to look at me either." Kevin looked up at his face and shook his head, "gosh no, Connor I- every inch of you is created in Heavenly Father's vision. Your body is cradling new life, you're a miracle, my miracle, my soulmate, my future husband-" Connor raised an eyebrow and started to smile. "Your smile makes me turn to mush, the curve of your back, the way your fingers subconsciously draw circles around your bump, it's all gorgeous." 

He kissed at his jaw and undid the three buttons atop his garments. He slid them down over his shoulders and down to his hips, pressing his hands fully skin to skin over the bump, kissing Connor's lips before leaning over and pressing kisses to the bump. "Where'd you learn to be all poetic?" "I got an A in my AP Lit class." "Of course you did." Connor said, chuckling and wiping away a tear. 

"Now, do you want to try on some clothes?"

He ended up wearing Kevin's button up and Church's slacks- it ended up looking pretty good, and after the whole fiasco, the Elder's made sure to save him a plate for breakfast.  
——  
Connor sighed as he moved around the kitchen, almost dancing as he prepared dinner. He hummed to himself as a song played off of the CD player. He leaned down under the counter to get to the cabinets and pulled a face as a shooting pain flew up his back. He placed a hand on it and tried to ignore the pain as he continued to bend over. 

"Do you need some help Con?" Kevin asked, leaning in the door way. "I am fine thank you." He stressed, moving to get down on his knees instead. It wasn't nearly as graceful as he had hoped. Kevin simply observed with a smile hidden behind his hand. Connor placed the bowl on the counter and tried to stand up before finding out it wouldn't be that easy. He sighed and kicked one leg out to the side, bending the knee and using that leg and his grip on the counter to pull himself back up. 

At the end of the endeavor he was sweaty, panting and red, but he kept his decency. Not pride, because pride was a sin. Kevin smiled over at him and Connor glared back, "see? Just fine." He huffed, going to take another step and wincing as that pain in his back returned. Kevin rushed over and took the bowl from his hands. "Hey lets take a break alright? Sit down, relax.." Connor chuckled softly, "Kevin it hurts more if I sit down." "What so you're always in pain?" He asked, eyebrows shooting up as he gave his best impression of a puppy being kicked in the head. 

"Kinda, yeah, there's nothing I can do about it so..." Connor shrugged. "Rub his back idiot!" Church called from the doorway. They both spun around. "Now I assure you that's unnecessary." Connor mumbled. "For gosh sakes just let Price rub your back Connor. Pride's a sin y'know." He took the bowl and the spoon off the counter. "I'll finish up. Besides he's desperate to help you look at him." He pointed over at Kevin who was doing some serious puppy face. 

Connor sighed and walked with Kevin to the couch, Kevin sitting behind him and tenderly placing his hands on his back. "Is it the lower part? Here?" He asked, moving his hands down. Connor nodded and almost let out the most embarrassing moan as Kevin started to get into it. His head lolled back and his mouth was wide open. Arnold and Naba struggled to contain their laughter as they walked in. "Now why didn't you let me do this before?" "Didn... wanna bother you...." He slurred as he choked on a moaning noise. Kevin smiled and kissed the side of his neck. 

"God Kevin your hands are incredible..." he mumbled, taking a gasping breath. Kevin perked up and shined a bright smile. At least one part of himself was. "Thank you, and also, you asking for help isn't bothering me. Gosh Con, you're giving me a child. I'd give you my soul if I could. A back rub is far from a fair trade." Connor shrugged before gasping, "fuck right there!" He slapped a hand over his mouth. He'd never even cursed when they actually had sex and now he was sounding like a regular whore. "HEY! Get a room!" Church shouted teasingly from the kitchen. 

Connor was bright red but became easily distracted from his exploitive by Kevin's hands- good gosh. After a few more minutes Connor waved him away. "I think I'm set for life- thank you so much." He hummed, turning around and straddling him, kissing him tenderly on the couch before pulling away with a start and looking down. "Oh em gosh! Did you feel that?" He gasped, resting his hands on the side of the bump. Kevin shook his hand and placed his hand where Connor's was. There it was again. Light as a feather, but Connor felt hit with a ton a bricks. "Holy shit..." Connor didn't even have the mind to hit him for the curse. 

"It... it moved." "It's like- a person." He chuckled as tears welled in his eyes and he quickly returned to kissing his boyfriend with all the affection he could possibly jam in one motion.

By the time dinner had been served and they were all chatting casually, Connor felt stuck. He wanted to talk about the baby, and how it moved and how exciting it was- at the same time he didn't want to burden the other Elders with the reminder they were living amongst sinners. They had been pretty respectful the past month but still. It was awkward enough having to tell them, better they just get the benefit of ignoring it's there at all-

"Guys the baby moved for the first time today!" Kevin shouted in excitement. 

Apparently Kevin had no such reservations. 

"Wow really?!" Poptarts said, looking over at Connor. "Is it moving right now?" Connor smiled and shook his head, swallowing before he spoke. "No, just those few little movements earlier today. Maybe the back rub made them a little more comfortable too..." he murmured, flushing as he was still a little uneasy talking about it all. 

"Wow, Price finally gave you a back rub? It's about time, gosh. You'd think someone with four younger siblings would know the ropes." Elder Michaels said, shaking his head. Connor raised an eyebrow. "I mean, it's pretty obvious how much pain you've been in, but it's too... intimate a thing to do to offer to do it ourselves." Church added, picking at his food. Kevin pouted slightly. It hadn't been obvious to him... "Either way that's really neat Elder McKinley." Poptarts said warmly from his place next to him. 

"Um... how... far along are you anyway? I mean we should probably know how long we have left before Elder Price starts panicking and freaking out." "Hey!" Shouted a resentful Kevin. "Umm... gosh we're not even entirely sure. There isn't exactly a proper doctors office nearby. We think about 5 months or so though." Connor responded after a moment of thinking about it. Gosh he still had six months left for his mission... How could he go home and explain having a two month old to his parents? Gosh maybe he should start making a plan now. He was sure he'd get kicked out the moment he got home. How- 

"Connor? Are you okay?" "Just... thinking." He assured Kevin with a smile, returning to his meal and upon delving back into his worries he felt the warm presence of a foot pressed against the skin of his bump. He looked down slightly and smiled, rubbing the side of the bump. It would all be okay. It had to be.  
——

After dinner they all circled around the coffee table playing Uno, McKinley cleaning up in the kitchen. Kevin was definitely making doe eyes from the couch. It was his turn, and clearly, he didn't care. His eyes tracked Connor as he moved throughout the small kitchen, moving as a dancer would. He moved on his tip toes to reach the high cabinets, the bottom of the bump grazing lightly over the counter. 

Matt Zelder reached to wave a hand in front of Kevin's face before Poptarts went to lower it. "Just let him gaze, I mean, look at him he's practically gone." "Issn he amazin'?" Kevin slurred from his position of his hands squishing in his cheeks. "Sure buddy." Arnold said from his side, patting his shoulder lightly. "He's like an angel..." "Alright Elder just put down a card." Church said, trying to remind him of the game at play in front of him. 

Eventually Kevin put down a card, but it didn't keep him from admiring Connor in the mean time. The way his back curved to support the bump, the bump that had life growing and moving inside of it, his baby, his and Connor's baby. 

After a few more turns he couldn't take it anymore and moved to meet him in the kitchen, hugging him from behind and tucking his head into his neck. "Kevin babe what are you doing?" "I just... you're amazing. You're like- doing all this stuff, making a life, a little life we get to share, and you act like it's no big deal even though you're just sitting there, making a gosh darn human being..." Connor laughed softly and put a hand on the back of his neck. "Ah jeez Kevin..." "It's true, I'm right, because I'm always right and I'm especially right about you being a radiant bucket of sunshine growing our child." 

"Did you put something in your coffee this morning?" Connor asked with a meager laugh as he stepped away and pushed a hand through his hair. From this angle he could see and subsequently bask in the love and admiration pouring out of his boyfriends eyes. "Gosh Kevin you're love drunk." He teased softly, almost uncomfortable with the amount of affection falling on him. "Probably." Kevin hummed. Connor opened his mouth to speak as the brunette went in for the kill, pulling him close and kissing him fully on the lips. (Something they'd never done in front of everyone else.) 

Connor, though unused to this type of consistent affection, figured that he very well could grow accustomed to this in his life. When Kevin looked at him like that, all those fears about bitter fights down the line seemed to melt away.  
——

"Elder Price could you please come here?" McKinley called from his office. Everyone turned to look at Kevin, who was in the middle of making another coffee. "Yeah Elder Price you'd better go." James teased. At this point, Elder was often used in a passive aggressive manner, (or if you forgot someone's name) and the district leader voice coming from the office didn't do anything to dispute that assumption. 

Kevin flushed and walked out of the kitchen, followed by a childish, "oooh Kevin's in trouble" from a few of the boys. He peaked his head in the door and only saw the back of his boyfriends head. "Um... yes Elder McKinley?" He asked quietly, trying to think of what he could've done wrong over the past few weeks and why Connor could be angry. 

With a little bit of struggle (that went unacknowledged) Connor got out of his chair and shut the door behind Kevin, immediately pinning him to the wall with a kiss. "Oh gosh Kevin I need you, bad..." he said in a borderline whining tone. Kevin took a deep breath and took in the sight of his boyfriend, whose face along with his arms were already bright red with a flush. 

"Are you sure it's... safe?" "Of course it is, gosh Kevin pleeeease." "Okay okay, so you aren't mad?" He asked as Connor dove for his neck. "Mad what? No!" "Then why the-" "If they think I'm mad they wouldn't consider this a possibility." "God I love how smart you are." He whispered, picking him up under the thighs and Connor fumbled to wrap his legs around him, ending up back down on the floor due to the, ahem, forced space between them. 

Kevin blushed with embarrassment for his boyfriend and Connor just sighed, "don't make me feel bad about myself I'm too... um... ugh- Horny for that right now." No other more pleasant word would've fit unfortunately. They ended up down on the unused cot in the office that occasionally Connor had slept on during late nights. The redhead moved his hands underneath Kevin's shirt after untucking it, and surprisingly felt nothing but skin. "No garments?" Kevin shook his head as he pressed kisses to his collarbone. "You little devil." He purred, tilting his head back. 

Kevin was taking achingly long with the foreplay, and every button he undid was like getting shot for Connor. Eventually after about fifteen minutes of making out with little clothing removed McKinley grabbed his boyfriends face and glared at him. "Kevin, I want you to fuck me, now. I can feel you're hard what's the problem?" 

"I'm just kinda... I dunno, scared? It's been awhile, that's all, I might not last-"  
"Kevin?" The redhead asked more sternly, raising an eyebrow.  
"Well we haven't done it really since you got... well..."  
"I can't very well get pregnant again Kev."  
"No- haha- it's not that it's.." he fumbled with his words  
"Is it me?" The blue eyes blew wide with several different emotions Kevin couldn't quite decode.  
"Oh gosh! No babe you're gorgeous I just.." he let out a sigh.  
"It is me."  
"No! Connor, I just- I don't want to hurt you. Or... them."  
"Oh good gosh Kevin.." 

Kevin sighed and gave his best puppy dog eyes, taking off his shirt all the way. "Babe, I'm not that delicate, I'm going to be fine. I'm not going to faint or throw up, and the baby is going to be fine. I'm not going to be fine if nothing happens." Connor stressed. Kevin nodded and got back into it, grinding more into him. 

Quickly after their little discussion slacks, white shirts, and ties were scattered around the room. Connor nervously removed his garments, looking up at Kevin. He hasn't seen him fully naked in a long time. There was a bump, and stretch marks, and dark nipples and all the not so romantic parts of pregnancy. Connor nervously lifted his eyes to meet Kevin's after he was completely nude and he was just met with a smile and a long kiss. 

Kevin ran his hand along his sides and gripped him under his armpits, his thumbs pressing into his nipples. Connor made a weird noice between a groan and whine, taking a sharp inhale. Kevin quickly removed his hands like Connor was on fire. "No no... it's fine babe just... be gentle okay? They're just really sensitive..." he murmured, his face bright red. Kevin nodded and took the time to strip off his own briefs, freeing his erection and moving back down on Connor, propping up his torso on his elbows so he'd leave adequate room. 

"I'm not exactly sure if missionary will work like... this." Connor mumbled, "what? How can it not work we're missionaries," the redhead laughed a little and sighed, "I'm just saying I wasn't as... flat as I was before." "We'll make it work, I promise." Kevin hummed, moving down to suck a hickey into his neck as he reached under the bed for the bottle of oil. This bed has been a frequent sight of debauchery before, they knew their way around. 

Connor raised his hips the best he could out of desperation, doing his best to keep silent as Kevin moved into him, biting on his hand as per usual. The brunette slowly replaced the hand with his own lips so that there wouldn't be a suspicious bleeding half circle on his boyfriends hand. He moved down to his collarbone again in due time, his hand inching its way downwards before finally gripping onto the redhead's shaft. Connor couldn't restrain himself. "Oh Kevin!" He shouted, letting out a sigh.

All of the teenagers looked up, a few turning red. "Wow Elder McKinley is really giving it to Kevin huh?" Arnold said from his spot at the coffee table with his Star Wars Puzzle. "Uhh I would think it'd be the other way around.." Church hummed into his water glass. "What? No! Kevin would never yell at Connor, especially when he's like that." "Mhmm, you're right Arnold." Poptarts affirmed as he put in his headphones and turned up the volume on his iPod. 

Kevin chuckled and shushed him softly, silencing him with his lips once again. It wasn't long before Kevin came, and Connor not long after him, sighing contently. "Oh man, that was great Kev." He assured him, kissing him once more on the lips. The brunette looked down at him, glowing and red with his hair all tousled. He handed him a handkerchief to clean up with and used a spare tissue in his pocket to take care of himself. "Am I a mess?" Connor asked softly. "Just a little." Kevin smiled and kissed his cheek, pressing a kiss to the bump as well. 

They got dressed and Kevin wandered out after getting a thumbs up from his boyfriend. He looked pretty normal, save the slight flush on his cheeks. (His hair hadn't moved an inch thanks to the ozone destroying nature of his hairspray.) 

The other Elders coughed and shuffled around awkwardly, doing their best to act innocent. It was hard to ignore the vertical nature of McKinley's hair when he rushed across the hall to the bathroom through.  
——

Connor had had a DAY. He woke up thirty minutes before his alarm went off because the baby kicked at his bladder, he had to clean up Elder Schrader who had mud thrown on him by someone in a nearby village, he had to deal with a missing Elder Davis who sprinted off after Elder Schrader was splattered, he had to console Elder Cunningham who got in a fight with Elder Price about a possible Book of Arnold passage- it was a time. 

And of course, at the end of it all he had to somehow make dinner for everyone. The boys were doing their best at trying to rely less on him but at the end of the day they still treated him like he was their mom, and he was not a- well, technically, he was a mom now- but not to them. After dinner was over, all Elder McKinley wanted to do was cuddle up with his boyfriend on the couch and receive sympathy kisses, but even that got ruined. 

He sat on the couch halfway on Elder Price's lap, and laid his head on his shoulder, his hands cradling the ever growing six month bump. Kevin pressed kisses to his cheek and to his lips, smiling down at him and whispering to him how awesome and amazing he was. It was exactly what Connor needed: some good ol' TLC. 

And then

"Can you guys stop being so gay in front of everyone?" Connor's eyes opened and he traced the sound to a certain Matthew Zelder. Now Matthew wasn't entirely enthused about the whole deal to begin with, and he's been rocking between being obvious about his distaste and being subtle, but it was always there. Now, apparently, he was being obvious. 

"Excuse me, Elder Zelder, what did you just say to me?" Connor asked, spinning around on his hips so his feet were on the floor and he was facing the other head on. "Don't act stupid. You're supposed to be our district leader, and honestly I don't care what you do behind closed doors to disappoint Heavenly Father but I will not have it in front of me constantly." 

Connor's mouth was shut but his eyes portrayed his shock. All of the other Elders were silent, hesitating to even cough. "Matthew Ezekiel Zelder, I'm sorry you feel that way, but unfortunately I cannot hide my sin behind closed doors, unless you want to lock me in my room for the rest of the mission because, little reminder, I'm pregnant." Connor snapped, using his best district leader voice. Apparently it did little to intimidate the other. 

"I don't need the refresher when it's shoved down my throat all day long. Y'know, when I got here and realized my district leader was a fairy I didn't think much of it. You didn't act on it, heck, you almost fixed yourself, and then those two came and mucked everything up as per usual!" "Matthew please..." His companion, Elder Michaels, begged. 

"I'm... I'm going on a walk." Connor said quietly, still as stony as ever as he slipped on his shoes, not bothering to tie them, and walked out, slamming the door. Of course Kevin went after him after a steely glare to the rest of them. "That wasn't very NICE!" Arnold shouted, pouting and walking after the two of them too. 

Christopher took a deep breath and stood up, looking over at them. "Okay guys, I know tensions can run hot here-" "oh go stuff your face with some sugar bread Poptarts!" "Elder Zelder stop it!" Church shouted, quickly quieting back down. 

"Connor, honey-" "Just! I-I- UGH. Just leave me alone Kevin, just-!" He waved him away frantically and continued to march towards the lake, a place where he often calmed himself down. Kevin sighed and nodded, squeezing his shoulder before turning around and walking towards the village with Arnold for some guidance. 

Connor reached the lake quicker than expected. It didn't make him any less calm. Hot tears poured down his cheeks as much as he wanted them to stop. He rested his hands on the bump and just cried, wondering why he had to be punished like this. His district didn't respect him, his family would disown him soon enough, he pushed away Kevin. He didn't want to say it... and yet... "H-hasa diga eebowai." He sniffled and sighed with a sense of relief. It did feel kind of good, and it's not like he was a good Mormon when he didn't say it. 

He kicked a stone into the lake and made his way back to the hut because dammit he had to pee again... Connor opened the back door, hoping to sneak in without anyone noticing. He was too tired to argue again. As he quietly padded to his room, he heard the voices of the others and really, Elder Michaels was right, it's hard to resist the temptation of eavesdropping. 

"I know he can't help it, but sometimes it makes me a little uncomfortable too... Just like, when Kevin gets all gooey hearted and gushes all over him." John Davis...  
"I mean, is it cuz they're gay or cuz we're lonely? I miss my fiancée to bits." Andrew Neeley...  
"I mean I would never say anything to him." There was a pause and Connor only assumed that Schrader was glaring at Matthew. "But sometimes the gay stuff is just a lot to deal with. I try and be nice and open but it's weird, especially since he's pregnant, it's proof that, y'know... they..." he coughed and sighed.  
"I mean, it's not like they tried to do it, it was an accident, it's not either of their faults..." Chris muttered quietly. That made Connor smile a little.  
"Oh yeah, because having... homosexual relations out of wedlock isn't their fault." Zelder scoffed. 

Connor sighed and sunk down on the wall, since his feet were getting sore, putting his hands on his knees. 

"I mean I guess you're right, but there's no need to have been so mean Zelder..." James Church...  
"Oh, like talking about it behind his back is any better?! Look at what you all are doing, the second they're out of the house you're airing your grievances, how kind and loyal and perfect you all are! At least I had the guts to say it to his face!"  
"Hey! Connor's a good guy, and all the pregnancy stuff makes him kind of teary eyed of course I wouldn't say it to his face." Ben Schrader...  
"I mean gosh, can we be not polite for a few minutes here! James, he took a pair of your pants, Chris, he eats your Poptarts, he's been annoying to all of us! He's not half the leader he used to be-" Zelder shouted, rising to his feet.  
"He's making a life cut him some fucking slack Matthew!" Poptarts shouted back, also getting up. The others all went silent at the curse word, a few small gasps scattered around the room. 

"Am I crazy?!" Zelder asked in frustration. "You aren't crazy Matthew, you're just extreme, yes, he can get a little annoying sometimes with the whining and the tears and the mood swings, but it's only three more months, we can live with it right?" Davis asked. A few mumbled I guess's scattered the room and they all went pretty quiet.

"I think we're all tired and that's fueling emotions we might not truly feel, everyone should head to bed." Poptarts said, McKinley rushing up to his feet behind the wall and moving to the back door to appear as if he's just gotten in. He closed the door loudly and heard the others shuffle about frantically heading to their rooms. If normal is what they want, he supposed, than normal is what they'll get. 

He sighed and shuffled to the kitchen, beginning to wash the dinner plates. "You should head to your room Elders. It's well past curfew now." He hummed as he heard Kevin and Arnold come in. Kevin moved to walk towards him and he straightened his back. "To your room Elder Price." He said, sending him a sad look out of the corner of his eye, hopefully acting as a window in a dark room with the lights Off. 

At 6 am, though it was a pain, Elder McKinley dragged himself awake, rubbing his eyes and rushing to the bathroom, as was with most mornings now that his bladder had been morphed into the size of a pistachio. He dressed, did his hair perfectly and moved to the kitchen to start making breakfast. 

At exactly 6:29 am he grabbed two large pots and moved to the hallway, banging them together as loud as he could, even if it gave him a migraine. The schedule has gotten more lax as of late, along with everything else, and it was District Leader Elder McKinley's duty to make things normal again, which is clearly what they had wanted.

He heard some loud whining and complaining from behind closed doors and he huffed. "Normally I expect you to be dressed and ready by 6:30 so consider yourselves lucky!" He shouted, moving to the board which had seen a significant lack of attention recently. He updated the chores and the baptism count, keeping the breakfast warm on the stove until the others were out at the table. 

By 7 they were mostly put together and ready and McKinley huffed while inspecting them. "Neeley your name tag is on the wrong side, Davis no fancy tie knots, and Price you should be wearing your garments." He said, sighing and returning to the counter, plating everything and handing it out. "As you're all well aware the town is working on building a town hall and church building and I expect you all to be out there today helping." 

"And what are you going to do put your feet up here and knit?" Zelder grumbled. "Elder Zelder I am your superior in title and age and I expect respect or I will have to report your insubordination to the mission president." He returned with a bright smile. "As for your question I will be assisting in the building as well." "Connor!" A sharp glare. "...Elder McKinley you really shouldn't, you could get heat stroke, or worse." Elder Price said, a worried furrow in his brow. "I assure you I will be fine." 

He continued to walk about the kitchen and move to the board. "Now our baptism numbers are dismal Elders. I understand it can be difficult to venture into new areas and have them understand but we must try. We have 5 months left to get as many numbers on the books as we can, and of course, converting them to traditional Mormonism is preferred." 

He continued to speak and walk about and some of the Elders were casting weird looks at each other, Price glaring at all of them as if they had personally poisoned the love of his life. "Elder McKinley are you... okay? We're sorry about last night." A kick from under the table. "Yeah we're sorry." Zelder bitterly mumbled. "No all is well." The ginger assured them with a nice smile before moving to go to his office. "Elder you haven't had your breakfast!" "I ate whilst waiting for you all to get ready. My apologies." He hummed before closing the door.

He sunk down in his chair and he stared at the ceiling. God this was hard, and it would be difficult to keep up for 3 months. How did he do it for 19 years? To be fair he didn't have an aching back, swollen ankles, and a tiny human being to care about at that time. He rubbed the bump and groaned a little bit as a cramp began to form on his side. He bit his lip and took a deep breath like the women on tv had done. 

The door opened and he snapped his head up, smile turned on bright. "Can I help you Elder Price?" Kevin closed the door. "Babe what's going on?" Connor lost the charade and waved his hand out for Kevin to hold, the redhead squeezing hard and pinching his face. "Connor?! Is it-? Baby?" "Oh gosh Kevin no it's just a cramp and it sucks. It's like practice- I hate it." He said with a long exhale before letting go. 

"I know I seem weird, but I heard them talking last night that they want things to go back to normal, kinda, so that's what I'm doing. I want to be a good district leader again, earn their respect. Unfortunately that means you and me will have to return to closed door practices." He explained solemnly, giving him a sad look. "I'm sorry, I just- there's five months to go so, I want things to go as smoothly as possible." Kevin nodded and kissed his cheek, just don't hurt yourself today, okay? I worry about you."

"Believe me I know you do Kev, and I'll be okay, promise." He squeezed his hand and waved him out of the room, turning back to his desk. 

By 8:30 they were all down in the town meeting place, and McKinley met with Mafala to discuss the building plans, enlisting the help of Elder Neeley who would soon be studying Architecture at BYU. "Now we've gathered mixed materials, and our guys are out there teaching your boys about brick making at the moment." Mafala explained, pointing out the window. "Sounds good Elder, we'll be right on our way then with the plans." McKinley hummed, turning to the door. 

"Um... Elder are you going to be helping them?" Mafala asked, the concern laid out on his face like a book. "I don't see why not." He replied cheerily, just wanting to get out of there. "I see one, large reason why not." The red head looked at the floor and tightened his lips. "Elder Neeley you can report back to the other Elders now." He hummed, waiting for him to leave before turning back to Mafala. "I assure you I am more than capable... And if I were to not do it, more than one of the Elders would show their dissatisfaction." 

Mafala rolled his eyes, "Do not speak to me like I am a lawyer Elder, I will not twist your words, what do you mean?" The younger man let out a long sigh. "The last night one Elder expressed his... um... discomfort about my situation-" "Elder." Mafala sighed, raising his eyebrows. 

"Okay, He was kind of pissed off about Kevin and I cuddling and my pregnancy and after yelling at me I walked out and snuck back in and several more Elders in private kind of agreed with him. He said I wasn't a good district leader anymore- and this morning he asked if I was just going to sit with my feet up and knit while they were out here working." He explained, fiddling with his hands and pacing around the small space. 

"Elder you know this work can't be good for you." "What choice do I have?! I'm their leader I can't lose their respect..." He sniffled a little bit and Mafala placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not to be the bearer of bad news but, you do have a choice." Connor sighed and turned away. "I mean- ugh- I've seen women here do way more when pregnant and when holding babies than simply laying bricks." He huffed in frustration and put a hand on his forehead. 

"Elder they do what they know their bodies can handle. These women have had many children before, and I know from experience that when they carried their first born their husbands hardly let them stir a pot of soup. Later on they get more experience, know what they can and can't do. I trust you to make that decision, but be mindful." The ginger nodded and gave him a smile, thanking him before walking out and joining the boys. 

In the end he found the job of stirring and pouring the brick liquid into a mold wasn't very taxing and didn't make the more temperamental Elders shoot him looks. He could also sit down, which was a plus. 

The days went on normally from there on out, but unfortunately, it seemed the Elder was too efficient in brick making, and so on the 5th day of their construction he did have to lay them too. Kevin tried to say it was fine, that he didn't have to, and unfortunately he always received, "I'm fine Elder Price, thanks for your concern." 

At around noon, the sun, and heat for that matter, was at its peak, and he could feel his mouth getting drier with every drop of sweat that fell down his temple. He pressed down one brick for a particularly long time, closing his eyes and trying to stabilize himself. Connor took some deep breaths and stood up, wobbling slightly. "C- Elder McKinley, are you okay?" Poptarts asked, Kevin quickly whipping around and moving to stand next to him. 

"I'm fine Elder... just... gonna go get some water." He hummed, dragging his feet in the direction of the hut before tripping on a stone and falling on his side, Kevin rushing to help him before he made total impact. "I'm sure some people have water that are closer Elder, sit down I'll get you some." "No! I'm fine, 'mfin." He mumbled, pushing him out of the way even though his eyes were half shut. Kevin moved him over to a stool and rushed into a nearby house. Thankfully Asmeret had a water jug on standby in case "any of you white boys were stupid enough to get dehydrated." 

Kevin ran back and let him drink, Connor sighing after clearing almost half of it, his head still lolling to the side. "I'm going to take him back to the hut before he passes out." He told the others, helping him to his feet. "I'm fine... Elder Price I'm better already, promise." He mumbled, his knees buckling under him. The brunette sighed and looked around, finding a shady tree and sitting him down, fanning his face with a loose piece of paper. 

"Huh, I remember this spot. I cried under here with Naba when I found out... I was pregnant..." "Shh don't try and talk now baby, just rest, alright? Drink some more water." Kevin hummed, kissing his cheek. "Elder not in front-" "not in front of the others I know, I'm sorry, stay here, drink up okay?" Connor nodded and laid his hands limply on the bump, Kevin getting up and going back to the others. 

"Well, I hope you guys are fucking happy!" He shouted, jogging back to the hut to get some food and some more water. 

By dinner Connor was mostly recovered, if not still a little tired and loopy. "Hey, um, Elder McKinley, we want to let you know it's okay if you don't come down to build with us anymore. It's mostly done anyways." Elder Davis murmured, looking up at him. "Yeah we don't want you to hurt yourself Elder-" "We still think you're a good District Leader!" McKinley sighed and looked at all of them. "Though I appreciate the attempts I fear you are saying these things for my benefit, because I know these are not your true feelings." 

The table went quiet, with the exception of a poorly timed sneeze by Arnold. "Bless you- Now, Elders I am not stupid. I would hope you know this. I know you are uncomfortable and unenthused by my present situation. I unfortunately cannot disguise it as easily as I can stop PDA with Elder Price. In laymen's terms I'm huge, and gross, and very visibly pregnant. I know this can be, unnerving to some of you." 

The grip on his fork increased as his knuckles turned white. "I am sorry for that, but I'm doing the best I can to be normal and be a good district leader and I can't help but feel affronted by the fact that this goes unnoticed and unappreciated!" He snapped, his eyes watering as the fork flew across the room from the tension. "I'm sorry, I-I know hormones are an-n-noying I'm trying, I'm trying..." he cried, hiding his face in his hands. Arnold wrapped him in a large hug, which he appreciated, but it did little to solve the very emotional issue at hand. 

9 teenage boys, whom of which grew up in very strict, religious households, were relatively unaccustomed to dealing with- what many of their fathers had dubbed- "women's emotions" so many of them were at a loss. "We're really sorry Elder, we are!" "Yeah I didn't think it would end up like this..." Elder Zelder mumbled, scuffing his shoes on the floor. 

"I'm just gonna go to my room, I don't want to make you uncomfortable..." "No! Elder we're sorry! It's not your fault we're uncomfortable. We've been close minded. That's our fault not yours!" "Yeah! We like that you're our District Leader, you're great, and kind and all that good stuff. You're already a great mom!" "Yeah we're sorry." Connor wiped his eyes and looked over at them, smiling a little and nodding, looking down at the dinner table. "That's really nice of you all." He mumbled, sniffling and sending them a genuine smile, returning to his plate. 

The rest of them shared glances and shrugged, maybe that's all that needed saying? Seemed too easy but, he stopped crying, so that was good.

The ginger was still filled head to toe with anxiety and self doubt but, he was almost too exhausted to deal with all of that. He just wanted to do some cuddling and go to sleep.  
——

At seven months, Connor found it more difficult to stay asleep than it had been when he was wracked by daily nightmares. The baby would start kicking at all hours, he'd have to get up and pee, and he needed all of the angels in heaven to help him get comfortable in bed, and when he did, he had to pee again. 

This had been the longest 7 months of his life, even longer than the ones before he graduated from high school and those had been 48 hour days to him. 

By 5 am he had given up completely in a quiet fit of rage and just decided to start his day even if the sun hadn't agreed. He did get to enjoy the sunrise with an orange juice, a book, and a shady tree though, and that's all he could ask for. He could picture holding his nameless genderless baby under this tree, reading to them, nursing them- it truly was a lovely sight. The cool morning breeze was the closest thing he had felt to a chill in a long time. 

The warm yellows and blues of the morning greeted him as did a very curious stray dog that must've belonged to someone in the village. "You should get back home, you could be eaten by lions y'know." He told the dog, who simply plopped down next to him to bask in the shade. All was well, and peaceful, he could almost just drift off...

"ELDER MCKINLEY!!!" His eyes snapped open and he looked around and found a frantic Arnold and Chris running up to him. "You're okay! Thank Heavenly Father!" "We thought you were kidnapped by lions!" Connor wasn't in the right frame of mind to bother dissecting that sentence. 

"What's the panic?" "It's almost 7:30 Elder! And there was no sign of you, we were worried! Elder Price is losing his mind!" Connor raised his eyebrows. "It's 7:30 already? Oh gosh I'm sorry I've worried you all, I was just here reading." He assured them. 

"Well come on, let's get back to the house for breakfast. You need it more than us." Elder McKinley rolled his eyes and nodded, setting his book down and trying to move his legs around so he could stand up. Each attempt just sent his butt back into the dirt as the two Elders watched. "Umm, some help please?" He asked with a sigh, the two nodding as they helped pull him to his feet. 

"Sorry, not as limber as I used to be." He said, grabbing his book and juice. Connor did his best to keep up with them as they walked briskly back to the house. For heavens sake he was barely keeping up with Arnold. He used to walk that fast?! If memory served he used to walk faster than all of them too. Ugh, now he was doomed to waddle along for two more months. He felt like an obese duck. 

Thomas and Cunningham walked through the door, proudly announcing, "We found him! He was under a tree." Kevin bolted up and walked over in relief, frowning a little. "Um... Elders is he not with you?" "No he is!" They turned around. "He.. was?" Kevin sighed and walked out the back door, looking on in slight pity as he watched his boyfriend huff and puff his way up the hill until finally reaching him. "Babe are you okay...?" "I'm fine." "Are you sure you look a little red-" "I'm fine!" He snapped, panting a little as he straightened up and walked through the door. 

"These two just ran ahead of me."  
"We didn't run we walked!" Cunningham pointed out.  
"Well I walked too!"  
"To be fair you kind of were waddling..."  
"UGH!"  
"Okay! Okay it's fine, everyone just take a seat I'll serve breakfast." Kevin said, gesturing for everyone to sit.  
"It's fine I can do it!" Connor snapped, being pushed into his chair by his boyfriend. "Just sit and enjoy breakfast hun." 

Connor was not pleased about this new development. After breakfast, Poptarts walked up and removed Connor's name from the chore rotation. "Hey what are you doing I'm perfectly capable of doing my chores!" He huffed, attempting to push himself out of his chair. "Elder you can hardly stand up on your own I don't think it's wise to have you scrub the kitchen floor." 

The gingers mouth dropped as his face turned red with fury, his lips desperately trying to form words as he finally pushed himself standing. "There! I did it, now give me that I am not a child and I'm still the district leader which means I'm the only one allowed to hold the chalk!" He huffed, grabbing it out of Poptart's hands a little too aggressively and snapping it in two. 

Chris looked at him with wide eyes, gulping and turning away. Connor sighed and took a long deep breath, placing the chalk back in his hands. "I think I've let my hormones get the best of me... I'm sorry Elder Thomas," he turned back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry Elders, I'm going to go to my office for some thinking." He mumbled, sighing and walking away. He locked the door to the room and lowered himself down into the chair in defeat. 

Kevin tightened his lips and walked after him, feeling a hand on his shoulder from Church who shook his head. "Let him blow off some steam okay? Let's just clear the table." 

Connor sat in defeat in the office, the anger having turned to tears rather quickly. All of his emotions these days seemed to happen the same way, quick and strong. He sniffed and placed his head in his hands, "I'm such a crummy district leader, I'll probably be a crummy mom too. I hate this, I hate these emotions. I wish my mom was here.... she'd know what to say." He sighed and leaned back, picturing what his mom would say besides all of the nasty stuff. Probably something like 'every pregnant person goes through this, you aren't useless, you're such a strong beautiful boy- man. You're a man now and sometimes that comes with challenges, but you can overcome them.' 

God he wished his mom would actually say that to him. He took a deep breath and drafted a letter, who knows if he'd send it out. 

Dear Mom and Dad, 

I know I haven't been writing to you two as much lately and that's entirely my fault. I've fallen upon some challenging times recently and I've been scared to tell you both. One of the Elders at my mission, well, he's amazing. He's smart and driven and caring, and I started seeing him awhile ago, in a romantic sense. And about 5 months ago, after feeling unwell I talked to some of the local women and came to the realization that I'm pregnant. I am no Mary, and, I'm sure much to your dismay, this came out of natural actions. As I write this I'm seven months along, and by the time my mission is over, my child and your grandchild will be two months old. I know you don't think well of my 'lifestyle', but all I ask is you allow me to stay in my room for one month after my mission. This will give me time to find an apartment and then I'll be out of your hair for good. 

I love you, and I hope you can accept me in time. 

Regards, your son

Conn-

"Hey honey? You've been in here for awhile are you okay?" Kevin asked quietly, looking over him. "I'm okay.." The tear tracks running down his face, and the puffiness of his eyes told another story. "Oh Connie come here." He said, coming in fully and closing the door, wrapping him up in a hug and giving him a soft kiss. He spotted something over his shoulder and grabbed it, Connor attempting to get it out of his hands. "Dear momnda... I know I haven't- is this a letter to your parents?" Connor nodded. "About us?" He nodded. 

Kevin sat down on the cot, continuing to read through the page. "This is... really formal- it reads like a college essay." "I don't know how else to write really..." "Here let me help. 'Dear Mom And Dad, I'm pregnant, which is awesome, and I have a super hot boyfriend, which is also awesome. Deal with it!'" "Kevin! Jeez, is that how you talked your way into college?" "Is that how you see this?" "No... I see this like- like trying to talk my way out of prison. Maybe if I use enough fancy words and sentences they'll let me go, or in this case, let me stay with them."

Connor sighed and sniffled, wiping the last few loose tears of his cheeks before leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath, before beginning to sob all over again. "Oh honey.." "What am I going to do Kev?! They're gonna hate me!" "Maybe you'll be surprised! There's plenty of things I thought my parents would get mad about and they didn't!" He just continued to cry into his shoulder, too tired to form words. 

After about 10 more minutes of calming him down, Kevin grabbed a chair from the kitchen to pull up and help him draft a new letter that ended up better than the last. "I can walk to the post office today." "Could you?" He asked with a soft smile and sniffle. "Of course darling, we just have to get an envelope on the thing." He kissed his forehead and it was sent out that day. 

About an hour after Kevin left, Connor was still working on another letter on the couch when Naba and Arnold rushed in, gushing about a new play they had thought of. Connor, always a fan of the theatrical when it didn't involve the mission president, let them pitch. 

"Okay so, it's gonna be set on a Star Trek planet cuz Kevin likes it more, and it follows the Nephites on their quest to get Hobbit blood to poison the Lamenites' leader-" "Wait then why are they on another planet don't Hobbits live on earth?" "Not these Hobbits, anyway-" Arnold continued to go on and eventually Connor had to lie down because his back was hurting and this was taking awhile. 

Arnold and Naba had turned around to draw their plan out on the chalkboard and when they turned around, Connor was fast asleep. "Elder McKinley? Elder-!" "Shh! Let him sleep, it looks like he needs it." Naba whispered, grabbing a spare blanket and laying it over him. 

When Kevin came back, he started to shout to the others before loud shushing came from the living room. He looked over and Connor was still fast asleep on the couch, the drafting pen still in his hand. "We finally got him asleep. It's been about an hour so I think we're good." Arnold explained, smiling in glee. Kevin smiled and nodded, planting a kiss on Connor's forehead before scrounging up some dinner for himself. 

Needless to say, Connor was far less cranky the next morning.

——

Connor was sitting cross-legged on a pillow on the floor with some drafting letters when Price jumped down behind him and hugged him close. He began to lean back and took Connor with him. "Kevvvv I'm trying to get work done and the o-" "everyone's asleep babe- you should be too for that matter." "Can't sleep- baby's making me feel like those kids that did Adderall during finals week." Kevin chuckled and pressed some kisses to his shoulder, moving down the fabric of his collar with his fingers. 

"Speaking of 'baby' we might have to name them at some point. I don't think Baby Price-" "excuse me?" "Baby McKinley will be a name to attract many employers- or partners." Connor sighed and nodded, setting his papers to the side.  
"I suppose you're right. So? Any thoughts?"  
"Um.... for a boy maybe Jo-"  
"Kevin I swear to Heavenly Father if you say-"  
"I was gonna say José!"  
"Liar-! dirty little-"  
"Okay! Gosh... what are your names then?" 

The redhead pondered that for a little bit, putting both hands on the bump- trying to telepathically communicate with them. "I think it's a girl so I'm going to say Elizabeth, so many great nicknames can come from that!" "Your Irish anc-" "Scottish" "Your Scottish ancestors would strongly disapprove." "Well I'm not going to give her some traditional Catholic-Celtic name." He scoffed. "I'd never ask you to do that! Let's see... um... Charlotte? Lisa? Cathrine? Mia?" "They're so basic..." "We could spell Cathrine with 4 Y's." 

Connor chuckled a little and sighed, turning on his side and cuddling into him. "Hmm... maybe something less traditional..." "Babe all the names I know are traditional. Do you have a relative that you like a lot?" "My auntie Madeline... she was great." "Hey I like that name." "Same here... maybe- okay, if it's a girl it's Madeline Elizabeth McKinley." "And if it's a boy?" 

They both sighed out and thought for a minute. "I always liked Thomas, or Theodore- those old timey president names.." Connor suggested, playing with Kevin's tie. "Abraham? Bill? Ronald? Harry?" "I didn't say they were all great names." Connor quipped back, stretching out his arms. "I like Theodore cuz we can call him Teddy..." He added. 

"Well I like Daniel. Classic name- A+ name." "Theodore Daniel Price or Alice Elizabeth McKinley. We'll see how it goes then babe."  
——

Mail day. Connor had been stressing about this day ever since he started drafting the letter. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous... maybe his parents hadn't even written back at all! He almost wished that was the case. 

"McKinley, from your parents, and your sister." He blew out a breath and took the letters, thanking Elder Church and Elder Davis for getting the mail. He sat on the couch and took a deep breath before opening his parent's letter. 

He sighed again when he saw it was his mother's handwriting. She always tended to say stuff a lot kinder. 

My Dearest Connor, 

In all honesty that was not a letter I was expecting when I saw you had written for the first time in months. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I talked with your father about your situation, and we are very disappointed in you. We thought you were smarter than this type of behavior, we all thought the treatment had worked! Your actions will make Heavenly Father very angry with you, and all I can do is pray that your behavior doesn't reflect negatively on us. 

However, what's done is done, and we agreed to let you stay in the house until you find another living condition. No matter how angry you make us, I'm not letting my boy and my grandbaby live on the street. In a way I blame myself for not educating you more about your body. As a part of this agreement, you are to tell no one the truth about how this baby came to be, even your little sisters. I know lying is a sin, and I'm not asking you to lie, I'm just saying not to tell the truth. The last thing we need is you kicking us out of town.

I'm sorry if this seemed harsh but you brought it on yourself. Make sure to write me as often as you can! I want to know when he or she arrives too. I wish I could be there with you, under different circumstances. 

Sincerely, Mom.

Connor was so relieved he was on the verge of tears. He held the letter close and panted like he just ran a mile. "Is... everything okay?" Kevin asked nervously. "You can always stay with me and my family, y'know- if they-" "No no, they said I can stay, they're mad but, they're not disowning me." He assured him with a broad smile, squeezing his hand tight.

A few tears escaped when he blinked and he moved to grab his older sister Faith's letter. She was always there for him when he was younger, and the only person who didn't shun him when he mentioned his feelings towards boys. He looked over it and it was mostly positive and much happier than his parents. A big Congratulations at the top and offering him a place to stay if mom and dad kicked him out. She also wanted to hear a lot more about Kevin- which excited the man in question. 

With Kevin's help he immediately got off the couch and waddled off to his office to write some more letters back.  
——  
It was late at night and Poptarts had eaten an entire box to make sure he stayed awake, waiting for Connor to drift off- which took an annoyingly long time since the baby was apparently making it difficult to get comfy. He smiled when he finally heard a light snore come from his companion and walked out of the room, quietly knocking on all the doors. 

One by one about half of the Elders left their rooms to meet in the kitchen. Chris was obviously head of the party planning because he loved parties and cared for his companion deeply. Kevin cared as well but he couldn't organize a party well if his life depended on it. 

They all had chipped in a few presents, Elder Michaels pitching two sets of a knitted cap, socks, a blanket, and a onesie for the baby, since there wasn't exactly a babies r us nearby. There was a store in the nearest large town, but it was a 2 day drive and they didn't have the money to buy much anyways. (Or a car for that matter.) 

"Thank you brother and your knitting prowess, anything else to throw in the large box?" "Gotswana donated the bassinet he used for his daughter when she was younger, but I don't think it will fit in the box." Kevin added, "it's basically in storage at his hut- I can run over and get it in the morning." 

"Great, thank you brother. Now, in terms of food Kimbe and Kalimba are going to help whip something up tomorrow in the kitchen. It might take awhile so try and keep Connor out of the house for at least an hour." Kevin and Arnold nodded, they had already planned things out with Naba. 

"Now, we don't have a lot of decorations, but maybe if some of you have pink or blue ties we could hang them." The planning continued on for a bit before they all converged and went into their bedrooms, awaiting tomorrow's festivities. 

Connor's eyes cracked open and the sun came streaming in- much to his disappointment. There was quiet, with the exception of some animal noises outside... His alarm didn't go off! Shoot! Maybe the batteries died. He huffed and pushed himself out of bed, grabbing his clothes. (He had to start wearing Arnold's shirts.) Socks were getting harder everyday- not to mention shoes. 

He sighed and grabbed a nice purple tie and his name tag, putting them on in a rush. He ran a brush through his unruly hair and got to the kitchen quickly, anticipating hungry, ticked off Elders. To his surprise though, everyone was sitting at the table, already eating the food they've made themselves. "Good morning brother! Did you sleep well?" Chris asked with a smile, handing him a plate of eggs and a Poptart. "Uhh yeah I slept well, I overslept though, y'all should've woken me!" He chuckled and took a bite.

"Oh no, we should check your alarm later." Chris hummed- who turned off the alarm in the first place. He wanted to make sure Connor was friendly and well rested for the day. "Thank you for making breakfast- I was afraid y'all were starving out here." "No problem, you need a day to get off of your feet!" Chris hummed, cleaning up. "You accent is very cute when your sleepy." Kevin murmured from his seat next to Connor, grabbing his hand under the table.

Connor blushed a little and rubbed his neck. It was a nice gesture, but were they trying to baby him? "I can help you with that Chris-" "Shush! Sit and eat." Poptarts said, Kevin placing a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in his spot. "I'm not a child, I can do things..." The redhead grumbled, picking at the eggs. "We know! Which is why you deserve a nice day off." Connor sighed in defeat and continued to eat his breakfast. 

"Y'know this is actually pretty good Poptarts-" "Hey! Uh! Kevin weren't you planning to do something today?" Chris interrupted, standing right in front of the window. Kevin snapped up and nodded, "Uh yeah! I was going to go down to the market with Arnold and Nabulungi, you should come!" "I dunno Kevin my feet have been hurting the past few-" "You'll be fine! And you've been so isolated the past few weeks, you're coming!" Connor sighed and rubbed his eyes, "okay..." why was everyone being so weird? 

Kevin hopped up and walked with him to the door, waiting anxiously for Connor to finish getting his shoes on. "Come onnnn" "when YOU have a 20 pound rock attached to your stomach you try getting your shoes on quickly." Connor snapped, huffing and standing back up. "There- let's go." He sighed, walking into the town with him and Arnold and already he knew he was going to be miserable. The heat was humid and sticky and his back already had started to hurt from getting his shoes on. 

He was struggling to keep up with Kevin and Arnold's pace and that wasn't making him feel much better. He was close to huffing and puffing himself into a fit when he felt Kevin's hands wrap around his, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Sorry, I'll slow down for you and the munchkin." Connor let out a heavy sigh and smiled, waddling into the town with him. 

Though many of the villagers did not like him at first- looking back on it he could see why- he had become close with many of them, and they've gotten kinder once they knew he was pregnant and no longer shoving westernized religion down their throats. Walking through the village, hand in hand with Kevin, and one hand on the bump, he almost felt... normal. This was how he was supposed to feel his whole life- and it felt good. 

He waved to Naba, who kissed her dad on the cheek and ran over to meet the three. "Hello Elders! Hi Arnold.." she smiled and slowly grabbed Arnold's hand, leading them to the marketplace. "Maybe they will have some baby things Elder- Ooh or some Star Wars things!" She hummed, leading the way with her love struck boyfriend in tow. 

Connor really couldn't remember ever taking this long at the market, even when he was visiting for the first time and looking around in virgin awe. "It's been like 45 minutes guys, I'm sore all over." He whined, leaning his head on Kevin's shoulder. "You guys keep at it, we're gonna go sit in the shade." The brunette hummed, waking over with Connor to a benched table. "I'll go see if there's some food for sale for you and the little'n." Kevin said, pecking his cheek and wandering off. 

Connor buzzed his lips and watched his boyfriend walk off, beginning to chew at a hangnail on his thumb. "Hello... what do we have here?" The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he whipped around. "Excuse me?" It was a man he'd never seen before, but the menacing aura reminded him an awful lot of the General. A weird, old, tan, white version of him. "White meat can go high, but it's a shame you aren't a virgin..." he sighed and grabbed Connor's arm. His eyes blew wide and he remembered what his mom said years ago on his first overnight field trip.

"You aren't as muscly as the other boys Connor, so you do what your sisters and I do. If anyone tries to grab you, you scream and make a scene, kick and punch, do what you have to." 

A scream so loud and high Connor was shocked it was his own emerged from his mouth, and he stood up as fast as he could, using his free arm to try and punch him, but he caught it before it landed a blow. Connor continued to scream and in the populated market someone ran over and punched him on the side of the head. Connor shook his arms free and looked down as Naba pinned the man down and pummeled him with her fists, going until a few other men showed up and were able to restrain him. 

Connor was a little shocked and watched as he got dragged away, gulping. "What- who the heck was that?!" "I don't know... but I knew he wasn't good. A lot of human trafficking can happen around here, especially where there's a bunch of people in one place." She sighed and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, we'll find the boys and get back to the hut." Connor tried to shake off the encounter to the best of his ability, but he was not being left alone in the market again, that's for sure. 

Connor was about ready to just cry and fall asleep when he got back, even if it was barely noon. He opened the door and to his surprise there was a lot of stuff going on. "Oh shoot- Surprise!" Chris yelled, followed by a bunch of other meager Surprises. "Wha- when- wow!" Connor gasped and looked around. There was a poorly closed box on the table and colorful ties acting as streamers, and the smell of delicious food from the kitchen. 

"Oh em gosh you guyssss!" He cheered, smiling wide and going to hug Chris, looking around. "This is amazing! Thank you." Connor continued to look around, following the scents to the kitchen where a large platter of food was laid out on the table. "Did you two make this?" He asked, looking over at Kimbe and Kalimba, who nodded. "Aw ladies thank you it looks so good." The redhead continued to waddle around the house in awe, hugging everyone he came across and planting a big kiss on Kevin's cheek. 

"Okay! Let's eat you guys!" Chris announced, grabbing some extra chairs for their guests. "So what is this for? Did I forget it was my birthday at some point?" Connor asked with a chuckle as he stacked his plate. "No silly it's a baby shower!" Kevin said, smiling and gesturing around. "Oh gosh! I forgot that was even a thing!" Connor said, covering his laughs with a polite hand.

After dinner had been inhaled by everyone they moved to the living room so Connor and Kevin could open the gift. (Though Kevin already knew the contents.) "Here you go brother! It's from all of us." Chris said, pushing over the oversized box. Connor pulled off the poorly tied ribbon and looked inside, smiling wide. 

"Oh gosh this is just the cutest little thing! Who made this?" He asked, looking around as he held up the little knitted onesie and cap. Elder Michaels meekly raised his hand and Connor waved him over for a hug- which was received. Inside were a few old and donated cloth diapers and baby toys from the village women, as well as the other knitted articles of clothing, and a few IOU slips like "1 Night of Babysitting" or "No Cooking for a Week." 

Connor was just about to burst into tears until Kevin darted away and came back with Naba carrying an old bassinet prepped with a few blankets. That definitely broke the dam. He struggled to stand but when he did just about everyone in the room got a tearful hug. "I- I'm just so happy you guys care that much, I had been panicking about where to get these things. I don't have to anymore!" He said to the room, sniffling and wiping away the last few tears. 

"All that's left is waiting for the little munchkin to arrive." Kevin hummed, hugging his side and looking down at the bump. "I guess so." He said, laughing nervously. That prospect was less exciting than a baby shower... he kind of wish he had more time to prepare. He wasn't sure if he was ready for them to be out yet.  
——

He was ready, good gosh was he ready. Moving around was exhausting- even just going from his room to the kitchen. It was mid October which was boiling hot. One day Connor found himself staying in his room all day so he could lay around in just his garments. The metal on his name tag got so hot once it had burned his already sensitive chest. 

He needed this to be over, until that was, it began. 

He woke up one day and got up, finding his center of gravity severely shifted as he almost fell back on the bed. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed, his stomach was just a bit lower is all, maybe they moved around a lot last night. 

After breakfast Connor headed down to Kalimba's hut to get some last minute advice on a few things involving the baby and the birth, and she grinned when she saw him. "Won't be long now!" She sang, walking over and touching the bump. He lost focus as he had turned to pat the head of her son who had attached to his leg. "Sorry what?" "Your belly dropped, it'll be any day now." She explained, rubbing his stomach. "...Any day?" He asked, suddenly feeling his heart rate increase. "Yeah, the baby is in the birthing position now." He moved over to sit in a chair and think. 

Maybe he wasn't super ready. 

"You don't exactly have a choice." She hummed, reading his expression. "Huh? No I'm fine." He retorted with a smile. "Don't lie Elder, it is perfectly normal to be scared, I was scared too, with each of them." "I didn't think you were afraid of anything." "I am, everyone is. I am a strong, educated woman, I walked two miles to school every day, I've beat up multiple creepy men, and I, along with everyone else, stood up to the general, but I still mourn, and grieve, and cry, and get scared. Birth is painful and scary, but it will be worth it. Focus on that." She said, patting his hand and serving him some food along with the rest of her children who scrambled around the table. 

Connor felt slightly better after his talk with Kalimba. He could do this, he was strong, it'll be okay.

NOT OKAY NOT OKAY RED ALERT

He groaned awake, his eyes peeking outside and seeing that it was still dark out, and felt a large pain move up and out of his spine. Connor squeezed his face up and moaned, turning onto his side to alleviate it. It was probably just the mattress. He took a few deep breaths and rubbed his back, staring at the clock. He still had about an hour and a half of sleep... he'd be fine in the morning. 

About fifteen minutes before his 6 am alarm went off another pain sprung up in his back and he hummed quietly, cinching his brows together. Couldn't he have had fifteen more minutes, why was it hurting so bad was this-? 

No, it wasn't he decided. It was in his back, not his stomach, it couldn't be. It wasn't. He was fine, he was strong, he was okay; He was scared.

He sat up in his bed and took a few seconds to breath through it and it was gone again. It was gone! It'll all be okay. 

After a few minutes of yawning and getting himself to wake up he dressed and went to make breakfast. When everyone else got up and started moving around at 7, something hit Connor that did not please his senses. He swallowed tensely, spotting the offending scent to be a poptart in the toaster. The ginger felt a cold sweat poor over his face and the second someone asked, "Are you okay?" He had spun around and thrown up in the sink. He panted a little and closed his eyes, swallowing the remainder. 

He hadn't thrown up in at least a few weeks, and he wasn't sure why he had. The smell wasn't particularly bad, and it wasn't what he remembered it being like when smells offended him before. Maybe his body was just being weird preparing for-

"Connor are you okay?" Kevin's soft voice bled into his ears as he returned to the real world. He nodded a little bit and sighed. "Yeah, I think I'm-" his neck lurched and he bent over for another round of vomiting, this time with a soothing hand on his back. Kevin hummed and handed him a napkin. "Alright, that had to be it. I didn't have much for dinner." He said, sighing and chugging a cup of water he was given. 

After a few minutes the feeling had totally gone away, and he was fine again, apologizing for the mess and cleaning out the sink after serving the food. He grabbed the sponge to start cleaning the sink before leaning over and gripping the counter top. The pain was back and it was worse, and it was definitely moving towards his stomach. "Elder McKinley? Connor! Are you okay?" Poptarts asked, turning in his chair. "I'm fine, it's just a practice contraction... they suck... don't wanna worry you all." Connor squeezed out, taking slow, deep breaths and he felt Kevin by his side again in an instant. 

"Are you sure they're fake?" "Yes! I'm fine, don't touch me!" He snapped, closing his eyes and focusing on getting the pain to go away. It was pretty quiet until it passed, Connor resuming his previous activities and the elders resuming their conversation. 

Okay... maybe this was code baby, but no need to make everyone freak out, or freak out himself, until he was sure. Kalimba said it could take hours or even days sometimes, and she also said he should time them. 4 minutes apart and they should get someone. (She heavily implied that that someone should be her.)

After breakfast, and heavily breathing through one more contraction, he had returned to his office, writing a short letter to his mom and his sister to send out when the baby actually arrived, since he knew letter writing would be low on his priority list later on. The peace of the office allowed him to suffer through the pains in peace and quiet, staring at the clock on the counter in between. 10 minutes. Plenty of time. 

He decided to read some passages and quietly pray for a quick, easy birth and a healthy baby. That's all he needed, a gorgeous healthy little girl or boy. He fantasizes about the future, going to their child's baseball games or dance recitals, listening to them play the recorder really bad in a school performance but still posting a video of it on Facebook, kissing Kevin when one of them got home from work and- 

"Elder McKinley!! Elder! Elder Michaels and Elder Neeley are missing again!" Poptarts shouted, bursting through the door. "What?!" Connor snapped, getting up and rushing to the door to hear the explanation. "They said they went into town but no ones seen them, Elder Church went into town and he didn't see them anywhere." "Shi-oot... didn't they know it was supposed to rain? Rain here is nothing to play with." Connor huffed, running a hand through his hair. This was the last thing he needed right now. "Okay, have people look around, I'll survey outside in case I can see them coming back- but the second any of you feel a drop of rain you coming running back, understand?" Chris nodded and jogged off. 

The redhead groaned and rubbed his temple, this was the last thing he needed right now. Kevin came around the corner and sighed, "oh god what happened now?" "Neeley and Michaels are missing again." "God those two are like dogs, you need to keep them on leashes." Kevin sighed and noticed Connor's face start to change. "Honey? You okay?" He was breathing really deeply, his eyes wound shut. "It's okay, I'm fine, just practice. They come more frequently now that I'm closer." "Are you sure...?" "Yes! I'm sure I know my own body Price!" He snapped, Kevin swallowing and nodding silently. 

Connor found himself leaning back on the wall of the house, breathing through the last few seconds of a contraction with his hands on his stomach when he saw two lanky shapes in the gray fog running towards him. "Thank the lord." He sighed and stood up properly, waiting for them to come closer to start yelling. When they finally got up to him they had an earful. "What the heck were you two thinking?! How do you always get in these situations??" He sighed and felt a few drops of rain, quickly pulling them inside. 

"If you would've gotten caught in that rain you could've gotten pneumonia! Or drowned!" He snapped, glaring at Elder Neeley. "We just wanted somewhere kinda private... Elder are you okay?" Connor had taken to doubling over, unable to be quiet and let out a low groan, trying to keep his breaths even. "Elder...?" "They're fake- oh god!" This one really hurt, he felt like he was dying. Elder Michaels cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted down the hall, "CODE BABY! CODE BABY!" 

A dozen heads peaked out of the door, Kevin beginning to sprint. "No! No I'm fine! I'm... uuughhh god!" Connor groaned, eyes welling up with tears. The pressure peaked and it felt like someone untied a balloon and it all went away. "Elder McKinley did you..." Neeley made a slightly grossed out face, taking a step away. There was a huff and a push. "No you idiots his water broke, gosh, did all of your parents pull you out of school during that unit of health class?" Connor's mind was barely coherent enough to make out that it was Matthew Zelder's voice. 

He helped Connor walk to the couch and take a seat, looking over him. "Someone get Gotswana or whoever delivers the babies here." "Kalimba..." Connor panted out. Matthew nodded, "Kalimba. One of you also take the first aid kit off the wall. We'll probably need all of the contents inside." A few boys nodded and ran in all different directions. "Set up his bed with towels and extra pillows, one of you boil a pot of water." 

Connor looked over at him, still recovering from the event. "You're good at this." "Well I actually went to my sophomore health class and I want to be a doctor." Matthew shrugged and looked him up and down. "Go to the bathroom and make sure all the fluid leaves, no need to make your pants more soiled than they are." He sighed and helped him get up and walk to the bathroom. 

Matthew closed the door and turned around to find a very stiff statue of what was Kevin Price. "Come on, get your act together, baby is coming." "Baby is coming... baby is... coming. Baby, coming." "Good to see you got the main idea, you're a regular Socrates, now pull yourself together and hold his hand and kiss his cheek or whatever." Kevin nodded and rubbed his eyes, continuing to process it all. 

Connor emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, taking a deep breath. "Has anyone gotten Kalimba yet? Maybe we shouldn't get her right away, wouldn't want to bother her." He said, groaning and leaning up against the wall. "Don't be ridiculous Connor, you're in labor and it looks like there isn't a lot of time to dilly dally. Church and Schrader already left." Poptarts said, guiding him to their bedroom. "Did they bring umb-" "yes and they brought their umbrella's with them." 

Connor took a deep breath and lowered down onto the bed, waving Chris's hovering hands away. "Is Kevin okay?" "He's just a little fuzzy," Arnold said, walking in and plopping down next to him. "He hasn't fainted yet, no promises that he won't though. He almost had a heart attack when the plane took off on our way here." Connor nodded and smiled, "He isn't the best at handling stress." He said. Sometimes he found Arnold annoying, but right now it was exactly the distraction he needed. 

After a few minutes and another contraction they heard the door open and close, Connor attempting to stand up and being pulled down by Chris and Arnold. 

"Oh my gosh! You're here! Thank god! Connor has been having pains forawhilenowIthinkbuthewouldn't-" Kevin rambled, eyes blown wide. "Hey! Calm down, it's just a birth, everything will be alright." She smiled and rubbed his arm, Naba running up behind her. "Is he okay?" Kevin took a deep breath and nodded, "He seems to be doing well, I'm not fairing so good, but he's great." He said, smiling wide before turning around at a loud groan coming from the bedroom. 

"Duty calls." Kalimba hummed, walking over to the room. Zelder had done a good job with laying out all the first aid supplies including a pair of scissors, rubbing alcohol and sheets. "Good boy," she praised, turning to look at Connor as he held Arnold's arm in a death grip, but the other didn't seem to mind. "Okay Elder, it seems like baby's ready!" He nodded and let out another weak groan before the contraction subsided. 

She ushered the three boys out of the room and did a quick examination, rubbing his side and helping him sit up a little more. "You're well on your way. Won't be long now." She smiled and patted his arm, Kevin peaking in the door. "Is everything decent?" He asked, eyes looking at the floor. "Come on Kevin it's nothing you haven't seen before." Connor joked breathily, waving him over. Kevin sat on the edge of the bed, pecking his forehead. "I'm so proud of you. You're doing great." Connor smiled up at him and smoothed back sweaty strands of hair from his forehead.

Kevin carefully removed his tie and name tag from his shirt, unbuttoning it and leaving him in just his garments. He grabbed a bandana from his room a cold glass of water, periodically dabbing his forehead. "You're a sweetheart, even if I kind of want to strangle you right now." He said with a small chuckle, holding his hand and squeezing it softly. "You're doing amazing." "Doesn't feel like it..." "I promise you are." Kalimba said, smiling down at him. "I've seen women freak out and bitch and whine, you're doing well in comparison." "Well you pick up a few tricks when you're hiding your emotions for two decades." 

Kevin frowned at him, gripping his hand tighter. "Hey if you're in pain don't try and hide it okay? It's not beneficial for any of us to have you mask it." Connor nodded a little, leaning back on the pillows and trying to relax. 

After another hour of writhing on the bed, Connor had reached the end of his fuse. The contractions were getting worse, dear god so much worse, and he was in tears, desperately wanting this to be over. Kalimba slowly helped him to the floor, kneeling with his legs spread leaning against the bed. "We're going to start pushing now okay? You're ready." Connor nodded and clasped his hands together, mumbling to himself. 

"What is he doing?" "I think he's reciting the opening passage from the Book. He does it when he's nervous." Kevin softly explained, running a hand up and down his back. "Okay, when you feel a contraction beginning just push okay? Your body will do the rest." Connor nodded and let out a groan and a scream as the pain built up. "Good, let it out, good job." She hummed, her hand placed underneath him. 

It didn't feel like he was doing a good job, it felt like he was falling apart. It especially didn't feel like he was doing a good job when after a half hour of this there still wasn't much to show. "It's not like how it is in the movies huh?" Kevin said softly, trying to lighten his lover's spirits. "Those ladies sneeze and it just pops right out." "Don't remind me..." Connor groaned, looking up at him with a death glare. Kevin swallowed and decided to shut up. 

"One more push and I think they'll start crowning." Kalimba said, smiling and patting his leg. She was right, and after a few big pushes and a few little ones, Connor felt the baby finally slip away, gently landing into the woman's hands. "Beautiful! Good job!" She cheered, pulling the baby away and into the light, the child crying and squirming in her hands. "You two have a perfect baby boy." Connor began to cry and laugh along with Kevin, who leaned down and kissed him lovingly. "A boy... oh gosh, let me see him!" Connor demanded, hearing the scissors clip as the cord was cut and tied off. 

Connor held his son close to his chest, the little boy still screaming his lungs out in a confused panic. "Hey shh you're alright, Mommy's here, I've got you." He whispered, a large smile stretching across his face. Kevin watched the two and couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face. "And that's your daddy right there. We've got you, you're okay..." Kalimba gave him a small damp towel to clean him off with. 

"We still have the placenta to deliver, do you think you can hand him over to his dad?" She asked gently, never wanting to separate a mother and child unwillingly. Connor nodded and carefully handed him over to Kevin, who couldn't care less at this moment if his pristine white shirt got dirty. 

Once all was said and done, she checked him over and helped him crawl back into the bed, giving the couple a blanket to wrap their newborn up. 

The second she opened the doors all of the Elders and Naba busted in, excited to see the brand new addition. "It's a little boy." Connor whispered, still very teary eyed. Everyone cooed and got a chance to look down at him, admiring the tiny, wrinkled, red face. 

Connor kissed Kevin softly and leaned against him. This was exactly what he had prayed for.


End file.
